


Frei

by happier



Category: Persona 5, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/M, Love Confessions, fanfic commission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:13:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29008104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happier/pseuds/happier
Summary: Bakugo, the only other person privy to Makoto's secret, has a secret of his own and it might be mutual.(Persona 5 x BNHA crossover ship fic, commission for a friend.)
Relationships: Bakugou Katsuki/Niijima Makoto
Kudos: 8





	Frei

**Author's Note:**

> I just sort of mashed the Persona 5 world and BNHA world together inelegantly, so like, quirks are Personas and Personas are quirks and all that.
> 
> Other than that, enjoy!

Makoto Kiijima was his senpai, and that, among many reasons didn’t make it easy.

Makoto also lived a double life as a phantom thief, a secret he was only privy to by catching her one evening in the act. He kept her secret not out of a sense of nobility, but because he really… damn it, he really wanted Makoto to like him. He knew the impression he gave off because it was a finely crafted coping mechanism, and he knew he was all but unapproachable to girls, and he’d given them good reason to keep their distance too. He was abrasive, rude… but Makoto had suffered in similar ways to him. She also fought to stay the number one student in her school, for family pressures, while he had done so to prove something to himself. She had no such egotistical designs, and she’d been used by adults for their own gain. The very notion pissed him off. He didn’t want her to be used anymore.

Some part of him, deeply selfish as he was, just wanted her to rely on him for those times she couldn’t say no, to rely on him when she couldn’t rely on anyone else. She’d earned his respect when precious few did— the first night they met, she was on a heist for a heart— and when she asked if he’d break her secret to the news, he’d said no.

He wasn’t sure why— the Phantom Thieves were on the side of justice, sure, but not on the side of heroes. Maybe it was her cool quirk— the motorcycle she was able to ride and summon and cause explosions with, or maybe it was just because she had looked that desperate, and he’d recognized her through the mask. He warned her that he wanted to find out what the Phantom Thieves were all about before deciding what to do about her, but since then… she’d gotten to know him, and he had gotten to know her.

And now he had this stupid crush to deal with.

It would be easier, in retrospect, to just give up, but she was just so damn cool. Everything he admired in one person, and she had been tough on him for his attitude at first, but she still brought him drinks when they met after school and worked on homework together. The more she occupied his thoughts, the more he tried to shove them down and away. There was no room for that in his head!

He couldn’t ignore those thoughts at all.

Damn it.

Even as class was over and he wandered down the familiar path where he knew he’d meet her, the crossroads between his school and Shujin Academy, he wondered why he even kept walking this way. His senpai probably only had work on her mind, on top of the Phantom Thief business. Even now, he was getting frustrated that in his weakness, he was hoping to see her today.

And when he spotted her in the crowd, some part of him hesitated to wave, but she saw him before he could stalk off and leave her to her business.

Little did he know, Makoto viewed him as a very, very close friend— someone she could share the stress of her life with without judgment, and maybe a bit more than that. Her warm smile reminded him that she was never bothered to see him, even when he was wearing his usual scowl.

“Hey, Bakugo-kun,” She said in that even-tempered voice of hers. “Weren’t you going to say hi?”

“Didn’t want to bother you.”

“It’s never a bother—” And she’d like to emphasize that because it really did mean a lot that he came to see her. “How is your homework for today?”

“It’s fine,” He had mathematics and rescue tactics to review, something very different from Shujin Academy’s curriculum. Even now, he couldn’t quite look her in the face.

“Do you want to do homework together?” Lately, Makoto had been skipping the Library in order to find Bakugo and offer to work with him, and she was good at convincing him to do it. Something about her insistence on hanging out… they’d only recently exchanged phone numbers, and now she was talking to him more and more often…

“… don’t you have other friends who need your time?”

“Well—” Makoto wasn’t sure if she should feel hurt by that, or if that was his way of masking concern. “I do, but… I want to spend time with you as well.”

That made him bristle. The way she said it, too! “Then— fine.”

Makoto perked up immediately. “I know a great cafe this way—”

—

Makoto would scrutinize his homework with a scrunched nose, trying to figure out exactly what kind of answers they were looking for. Not that he needed help— he did just fine on his grades on his own, but her help could push him to the very top. She wasn’t a part of any hero courses, so naturally, some of it went over her head.

“You have a very impressive curriculum at UA,” She said, finally. “The work you’re going into is noble. I wish I could say the same for myself.”

“Don’t put yourself down,” He barks back, though what he said next was quieter. “The Phantom Thieves are doing more than enough to help people, and you do it under the guise of vigilantism. You could get in serious trouble, but you do it anyway,” He pauses, trying to phrase this next question. “I can’t help you, you know. But—”

The words die on his lips. If she ever went to jail for her “misdeeds”, would he be able to help her? Of course, he would! There was no question about that, but if he let her know that, then she might become privy to his feelings, so a tsundere outlook it was.

“—But nevermind. What did you suggest for answer 22?”

“Oh, here…”

As her hand gently brushed against his, he bristled not unlike a cat would at a sudden touch. Bakugo quickly grabbed his pencil as if to show off that it was nothing more than an accident. Makoto seemed… apprehensive. Did she do something wrong?

“Bakugo-kun, are you okay? You seem… off, today.”

“I’m perfectly fine!” He huffed, trying to focus on his homework and do something useful. “Don’t you have homework to work on too?”

Makoto bristled. “I do, but if I made you mad, I’d at least like to know _why_.”

“You didn’t make me mad! _Ugh_ ,” His voice was clearly irritated, but internally, he was angrier with himself than he was with her. He was a mess at articulating how much he actually liked someone, and with his cool, badass senpai, he wouldn’t be able to do anything that would impress her.

Makoto seemed defeated, relaxing in her seat, rubbing her forehead. “You know you can talk to me about anything, okay?”

“I know. Let’s just get this done.”

As they parted ways for the rest of the day, Bakugo wanted to bang his head on a nearby wall. That was so stupid of him— what reason would she have to hang out with him if he kept pissing her off?

And she’d been so understanding, too, it made him mad!

He had to say something, and soon.

—

His phone rang in his dorm room with the familiar beeping noise that signified a text from Makoto. As embarrassing as it was, he’d given her her own texting tone and he responded to it like a Pavlovian bell.

“Want to go do something fun?”

It was the dead of night, almost 11. That didn’t mean he was a wimp.

“Sure.”

“Meet me outside your school gates.”

With a simple ‘Ok’, he quietly snuck out of his room to go see her.

What he didn’t expect was the leather get-up, and Johanna revving, ready to go. Though Makoto’s quirk was something she insisted was a Persona, it was a little like Tokiyomi’s. A being that was an extension of herself, and using that, she had made it so her (absolutely rad) motorcycle had a back seat.

“… no way.” He crossed his arms.

“What?” Makoto smiled. “I heard some news in Mementos about a villain attack that’s going to happen downtown. Don’t you want to help stop it before it starts?”

After a moment, he grinned. He just didn’t like having to ride behind her. Any chance to prove himself was one well spent. As he got on the motorcycle behind her and it sped off into the night, he rested his hands behind him, not wanting to rest them on her hips or anything like that. How she hadn’t been identified as a Phantom Thief from her quirk, he’d never know…

(Mostly because her secret identity was tied to these things called Palaces. She’d explained it once, but it got lost in the conversation… somehow.)

—

It was a small-time villain, but one with a dangerous quirk. Makoto quickly swerved her bike down the alleyway where the perpetrator was setting up.

As she and Bakugo hopped off of it, she pulled her gloves on tighter. “I don’t think so.”

“Who are _you_? Some teenagers?” The man was obviously unimpressed. “Looks like you won’t be leaving here alive— a shame, I usually spare kids—”

The ensuing brawl lasted no more than a few minutes, with explosions and Frei lighting up the alleyway and blasting the man straight on his back. Before the smoke could clear and they’d get caught, Makoto and Bakugo hopped back on Johanna and sped off into the night.

It was a nice night for driving, as she crossed a bridge over a river she turned her head back and spoke.

“It was nice having you with me tonight. I don’t usually want to get you involved, but I know you get—”

“Restless? Kinda.” The temptation to hold onto her waist was so strong, but he wouldn’t let himself. “You can… pick me up to do more stuff like this. I don’t care.”

Those words were like warmly stated permission from someone as abrasive as him. Makoto couldn’t help but smile.

After a minute, it was so fast that when he blinked, he barely missed it— her clothes had shifted back to normal into her Shujin Academy one. Pulling her motorcycle to a stop at a little ice cream stall at the night market, he wanted to ask her how the hell she was able to do that— but she kept her secrets. Maybe it had something to do with Personas? There was no way she had a quirk that allowed her to change clothes all of a sudden. He’d have to ask her.

But, before he could, she’d bought two ice cream cones and handed him a mix of strawberry and vanilla, her own, a cookie crumble one. He knew she liked that kind of ice cream because it reminded her of some panda mascot— fuck. That was really cute, and he didn’t know how to handle it.

“Wanna walk with me?”

“Mmhm.”

As the two walked towards the park overlooking the water on the river, Makoto paused, struggling to say something that she really wanted to say.

“Bakugo… no, Katsuki-kun.”

The change from family name to given name got his attention immediately.

“Do you ever… wonder what it’d be like if we hadn’t met?”

“What do you mean?”

“I wouldn’t have someone outside of the Phantom Thieves to hang out with. And… I wouldn’t have gotten to meet someone so cool. You put up a front, but beneath that is someone… I really like. I just— I’m grateful, you know?”

That swerve at the last second, she wanted to say something else other than the fact that she was grateful. He paid close attention to her, wanting to see what else she had to say.

“And… I’d like to hang out more if you’d want to.”

“… Sure.”

“That’s really okay?”

Look at him! She was pouring her heart out and all he could say was ‘sure’. This was so dumb, he needed to man up and say something and say it right. He tossed his ice cream cone in a bin and focused on her.

“Makoto, what are you trying to say?”

“I… is it that obvious?”

“Duh. But I think I get it. After all, you’re not very subtle.” He smirked, rubbing his neck with his hand. “I guess we could hang out more.”

And— here it comes, steel your nerves and be the badass you were meant to be.

“Makoto-senpai. I want you to go out with me.”

Makoto’s words stopped fully, staring at him with wide, red eyes, before blushing and glancing away. “I guess it was really obvious…”

“No one else would try to match me in nerve. You literally hopped on your motorcycle, took me to beat someone up, bought me ice cream, and really brought me here so you could confess your feelings… you’re weird, Makoto.” He grumbled under his breath. “But I like it.”

Makoto smiled the widest he’d ever seen her smile, as she placed her hand on his arm and kissed his cheek. He let out a soft ‘tch’, trying not to blush or do anything that would embarrass him.

“Thank you for accepting my feelings,” She said. “I… oh no, if you’re not back at your dorm, you’ll get in trouble—!”

“So what?” He shrugged. “This is more important.”

“I won’t allow it! You won’t get in trouble because of me!”

“Then why’d you take me out in the first place?” He smirked.

“I… I thought it would happen faster…”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s hop on your bike and go.”

This time, he’d feel more comfortable resting his hands on her waist as they sped off towards the UA dorms.

—

“Makoto’s got a boyfriiiend,” Futaba’s voice was sing-song, but Makoto didn’t even flinch. Ann leaned in with a curious look.

“You’re going to show him to us, right?”

“Of course… but he can’t know you guys are my fellow thieves. We’ll have to be subtle about it.”

“What’s subtle about a group of classmates conspicuously following you around everywhere?” Ren sassed, and Makoto sighed.

“Well… actually—”

The door to Leblanc opened. A boy with a scruffy blond haircut and a school briefcase over his shoulder pushed his way in. “Makoto?”

“Ah— coming, Katsuki!”

The Phantom Thieves watched, awestruck as this seemingly scary dude just walked in and took Makoto by the hand after she gathered up her things and walked out with her. Futaba was the first one to speak.

“Ohhh, he’s getting a deep internet search. Gotta background check the guy, after all. Make sure he’s right for Makoto.”

Ann nudged her with her elbow. “Come on… if Makoto likes him, he can’t be bad. She has good taste.”

Futaba was typing away on her laptop. “I’ve already got like, 200 results about this guy just from a quick google. Time to comb through it all~”

Ren sighed but watched Makoto through the glass door as the two of them disappeared. He was happy for her— so long as he was good at keeping secrets.


End file.
